December 12th

“For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'" Matthew 23:39

in the fellow
who goes out and buys
a tree for the widow next door
and then decorates it top to bottom,
we see the one who comes in
love.
in those folks
who place themselves
between their neighbors
and the ICE-cold hearts of cruelty,
we see the ones who come in
justice.
in families
who set aside their grief
and stand on street corners
witnessing for an end to gun violence,
we see the ones who come in
peace.
in the young people
who refuse to accept the notion
that nothing they do
might reverse climate change,
we see those who come in
hope.
even if, especially when,
we never pay attention,
you come to us,
again and again,
and we are blessed.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

December 11th

“For God alone my soul waits in silence,
     for my hope is from him.” Psalm 62:5

Advent seems like a long season
of dusk, as the world fidgets
while shadows grow long.
should we stay still,
we might notice, in the hush
between worry’s heartbeats,
you leaning close, reminding us
hope is not something we build,
but that gift falling gently
like snow on open hands.
as we try to learn
how to breathe again,
may we trust the light
slowly coming toward us,
cradling the fragile dawn
you shape each morning.
and in the stillness,
we discover you
making us new
in that holy space
left behind as our fears
drift away like chaff.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

December 10th

“The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted." Matthew 23:11-12

the shadows grow longer
than our patience in these shorter days,
but Jesus slips in, cupped hands holding a candle,
whispering that greatness
comes not in strident boasting
but in quiet kneeling with a towel and basin.
not in the bright lights of celebrity
but in the shadows, talking with
the rough sleepers in the wee hours.
this is the upside-down promise
Advent brings to us
that those left in the dust of power
we are to carry
to meet a tiny baby,
that the humble who ignore
the seat at the head table
will find their true place
in the straw-lined streets of Bethlehem.
hile others try to find
the tallest ladders of privilege,
may we walk past them,
taking those insignificant steps
toward the grieving,
toward the lonely,
toward the broken,
toward the feeding trough—
guided by the star of humility
lighting our way to life.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

December 9th

“Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
    righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
    and righteousness will look down from the sky.” Psalm 85:10-11

sometimes, they are like
young lovers, who cannot see
anyone else around them, as
every moment is taken up
in trying to discover every facet
of the other who attracts them so.
sometimes, they are like
those couples who have known
each other so long, and so well,
they can finish the sentences
the beloved starts.
sometimes, they are like
that pair of folks we see each day,
walking hand in hand, making
sure that the other does not fall,
those vows they spoke so long ago
shining through every white hair,
every wrinkle on the face, every
creak and crack in old bones.
but in every time,
they are the constants of our lives,
modeling the gift and the grace
and the grit of your peace and mercy,
your faithfulness and love,
which came in that thin season
of hope so long ago, and comes
once again, in the soft companionship
we need in these days.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman 

December 8th

“’Look! He is coming with the clouds;
   every eye will see him,’” Revelation 1:7a

we lie on our backs
gazing at the clouds,
hoping we can be the first
to catch a glimpse of you
starting your gentle glide to us,
but perhaps
we should be noticing
the person sitting on the steps
with the weather-worn and
stained-from-rejection military jacket,
hoping someone might buy
him a meal or a room for the night.
or watch the teenagers who refuse
to let the powerful use their mates
as scapegoats to justify their fears,
their prejudices, their self-righteous
piety which makes them faith superheroes.
we spend so much time
longing to see you as
a star falling out of the sky,
that we cannot see you
among us, even if you stuck out
your grace and tripped us.


© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

December 7th

“The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind,” Psalm 110:4a

we are people who change
our minds as often as we change channels,
and whose promises are as glib
as those pitches to buy this or that.
but you, God of Advent,
you are as steadfast as the stars
which glitter in the winter night
and the sun which rises faithfully.
every chance you get,
you renew those vows planted
so long ago in our now-frozen hearts—
that mercy will never be taken back.
justice will be born, even in places
where we rip it out every day.
grace will slip into human skin
and hope will walk our dusty roads
even if they lead to death.
so, ever so uncertain despite
your repeated whispers of love,
we wait,
while you never lose faith
you never falter
you never turn back,
even as we try our darndest
to keep losing our way.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

December 6th

“And have mercy on some who are wavering;” Jude 22

there are more of us
with clay feet than those
who are so firmly planted
on the Way.
there are more of us
who easily let faith slip
through our fingers than
folks who hold it so easily
in the palm of their hands.
there are more of us
whose promises flicker like
candles in a motionless breeze
than all who can light the way
in the middle of a hurricane.
there are more of us
longing to see a lamp
in the window like a lighthouse
for those who are high risk for
being shipwrecked on the rocks
than those whose clear sight
allows them to walk in the shadows
without any fear or doubt.
so have mercy, we pray,
have mercy,
for we have met the waverers
and they are us.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman